The client need

The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute needed a campaign film to inspire female high school students and school leavers to consider studying maths at university. This story needed to connect maths with the excitement of astrophysics, showing how equations, data and supercomputers can help us explore how galaxies and the universe are formed.

What I created

I created a 3-minute profile film and a 30-second social version about Professor Alan Duffy, shaped for young women considering future study and career pathways. The film followed Alan’s work as an astrophysicist and science communicator, showing how maths can open the door to big questions about stars, galaxies, dark matter and the origins of the universe.

The approach

The process began with an interview conversation with Alan to understand his career, research and relationship with maths. I shaped the script around his own language, tone and expressions, then built the film around a visual journey from ancient star charts to modern galaxy simulations.

The production included filming protected historic astronomy material at the State Library, night filming at Mount Burnett Observatory and supercomputer scenes at Swinburne University. These locations helped give the film scale, polish and a clear visual arc, connecting curiosity, history, mathematics and modern astrophysics.

Credits

Client: Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI)

Producer: Kristin Marriner

Camera Assistant: Bryce Padovan

Directed by Filip Laureys